The Hazel Green herald. [volume] (Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Ky.) 1885-19??, 1887-12-09

hangers, etc; Il would be kept in the
town. kept circulating. and az the same
time tho valuation Of real-eststo would
be enhanced by thousands Of dollars
worth of lcttermeuts The money
would have gone back into the hands
of the laboring men of Fireplace. Con-
trast this with the money when 1t Ia
paid over the counter of the saloon.
1t has added nothing to the wealth.
comfort or well-being Of the unfortun.
ate men who spent Il. but the contrary;
Il has added no new value to the town;
IL has not increased the Improvements
to the. city. nor has it gone back into
the local channels of trade. beyond the
sum required for the support OF those
who sell the liquors. The greater por-
ton has gone to swell the purse of the
Rum Power. and the only thing 1t has
done for the community is to increase
the amount of poverty, woe, wretched-
ness and vice. t'
1t is plain 70 any one who gives q
moments thought TO the matter that
the saloons are veritable money -leeches.
They suck the money Of the laboring
men to whom they give no equivalent
take it out of the business of the COM
munity and send it away to the distil-
lers, leaving the town or city the poor
CT by that amount-both in the ready
money and in the real values which
that money represents. This is not
the case with the men engaged in le-
Ultimate business. For every dollar
the latter receive thoy give an equiv
alent in goods, or something else as
tangible. The men who have paid this
money hold in their hands property
equal to the amount which they have
paid out. The business men put the
money they had received into circuia-
ton again for the employment of more
labor and tho production Of more goods
to take the place of those sold.
Isit not plain that the saloon is really
a potent factor In what are known as
''hard times?" A leech which is never
filed. which Is always sucking In
money out of the pockets Of the
masses. must not its effect be finally
to aid in the scarcity of money and
the arrangement Of the financial bal
ance? II certainly should be clear to
every one that this is the effect.
There are men who have so little
power of thought as to believe, in
sort of helpless, childish way, that
the saloon "aids business" They
suppose, apparently. because money
passes in the transaction, that IL must,
necessarily, be business" There IL
not the first element of real business
about il. Trade, or commerce, pre-
supposcs the exchange of one COM
modify for another. Generally, one
Of these is money. In every legiti-
mate transaction. both buyer and sell
Ter have practically equivalent values
in their hands after Its completion.
The first one had Il sum of money, the
second one had an equivalent amount
of goods. They exchange. and the
second one has the money, the first
one has the goods.
But in tho case Of the saloon, how Is
it? The workingman pays over his
money; what has he to represent that
money rs he staggers home to his mis-
cradle family? Nothing. and worse than
nothing. He has only lost his money.
but he has degraded his manhood. In
jured his health, lost his sclf-respect
aud respect and confidence of all decent
men. The exchange is abominably one
sided. 1t Is entirely to the advantage
of the saioonist. He has the money, and
the drinker has lost not only II, but all
thathnakes life worth living along with
il. ~ Hr aHg ,. aH" i."aw H't
There Is no business" about the sa-
loon. II Is the establishment which
fosters idieness aud debauchery.
which increases the poverty aud
degradation OF humanity; It Is the
training-school of vice, the, kinder
gartcn OF crime. It Is an evil tree. and
its fruits are evil. Toledo Blade.